On 17th September, in the heart of the Sile Nature Park in Ca’Tron (TV), one of the largest single-body agricultural estates in Italy and owned by Cattolica Assicurazioni, work began on expanding H-Campus, the H-FARM campus which, with 51 hectares, will host as many as 3000 people including students, researchers and entrepreneurs, becoming the largest innovation hub in Europe. Attending the ground-breaking ceremony where the first stone was laid and the job site was opened were the President of the Veneto Region, Luca Zaia, CEO of Cattolica Assicurazioni, Paolo Bedoni, founder of H-FARM, Riccardo Donadon, the Managing Director of Finint Investments SGR, Mauro Sbroggiò and the General Manager of CDP Investimenti SGR, Marco Sangiorgio. The H-Campus operation was possible thanks to the establishment in 2017 of a non-speculative closed-end real estate fund managed by Finint Investments SGR, with assets of over €101 million, underwritten by Cattolica Assicurazioni, who holds the majority of the Fund (56% of the assets), CDP Investimenti SGR, with the FIA 2 fund, for 40%, and Ca’ Tron Real Estate, the company of the H-FARM founders, for the remaining 4%.

The expansion of H-FARM, of which only 10% built, anticipates the construction of 13 buildings dedicated to training, start-ups and companies for a total of 30,000 m2 of covered area at zero volume, thanks to the recovery of volumes from abandoned structures. Therefore, a student hall which will house 250 students and a 7000 m2 sports centre that also includes a skate-park and a light athletics track will be built. The central building of the campus that will house a library, an auditorium and a restaurant was designed by archistar Richard Rogers, known for the Centre Pompidou of Paris. It will be one of the most technologically cutting-edge centres and one of the top 5G systems in Italy, in addition to being 85% self-sufficient in terms of its energy needs, thanks to photovoltaic accumulation and energy grid exchange systems. The remaining space will be used as a park facility, with more than 27 hectares of wooded area open to the public.

 “Cattolica felt the obligation to contribute to creating a cultural and educational opportunity for the development of the territory, taking advantage of an enviable geographic position and proudly supporting a project that will make our region stand out in the years to come - stated Paolo Bedoni, CEO of Cattolica Assicurazioni. – The operation represents a new growth model that combines tradition and innovation, land and culture, environment and technology, components that we are already promoting in our Ca’ Tron property with goals of sustainable agribusiness recovery, restoration and development. Our company has always believed in the development of people, beginning from their training, and in the promotion of the territory at the service of the citizenry. In our company, we feel very strongly about our social responsibility: we are wagering the future of the country on our youth and their preparation and this is a game where we want to be key players.”